The Benefit of Coffee
by Irene Kagamine
Summary: Thia is late for work and desperately needs a coffee. She finds Jack Frost instead. Coffee Shop AU, probably two-shot. Originally written for RS week on Tumblr. Theme: Something sweet.
1. Coffee! You can sleep when you're dead!

**A/N **Hello again! Firstly, I want to give a BIG thank you to all the people who put "First Times" under their favorite or followed. You are amazing!

As I previously said, I tried to take part of the Rainbow Snowcone week on Tumblr, but when it comes to writing I'm awfully slow... (also, one of the prompt turned into a multi-chap that has already three chaprters *cries*).

My biggest thank goes to **IcandyCo **for checking this little monster.

Hope you'll enjoy it!

**Disclaimers**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or William Joyce's characters.

* * *

She was late for work. This alone was alarming since she was _never_ late for _anything_ but Thia, hardworking student at Burgess Languages College with 2 part-time jobs, was a mere human after all and humans made error. Like not sleeping for 3 nights in a row. Both Mr. Sanderson and Mr. North, her two bosses, were getting worried about her lack of sleep and Edward, not only her co-worker at _Nicholas North's Bookshop of Wonder_ but also best friend and classmate, was fretting over her health.

God, she was pissed. Really, she appreciated the efforts her friends were making to help her, but if Bunny left another cup of tea on her desk (which she never drank because it made her even sleepier and she needed to stay awake), she was going to murder him, possibly painfully and slowly.

So, she was late. Also, if she didn't get caffeine in her veins within three minutes she was going to fall asleep on the floor; for this reason she texted Edward and informed him she wouldn't be at work on time (she refused to skip a day of work, even if it meant she would pass out while she was arranging the shelves). She was looking around for a café when she spotted something colorful on her right: it was the showcase of a little shop, filled with cupcakes, chocolates and candies of every kind. A vintage-looking signboard hanging in front of her read "Winter Wonderland" and, as she stepped toward the door, Thia decided she already liked the coffee shop. Her first impression was reinforced when a gust of warm air and the jingle of some bells above the door greeted her and the smell of sweets and peppermint made her tense shoulders involuntary relax. Her gaze wandered around and the young woman was mesmerized by the insane amount of snowflakes painted on the navy blue wall; the little pieces of art were incredibly realistic and she could easily tell that whoever drew them took a great care in making every one of them different from another. Thia was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't see the boy near the counter nor hear him when he let out a gasp of surprise. "A customer! Wait for a moment, I'm comi- Ack, Hiccup! Put these boxes where I can't trip over them!" His words were rushed but they were enough to make Thia turn towards the counter, just in time to see him jumping over it and running to her. "Hi I'm Jack!" as her mind tried to process the information, the boy swiftly took her hand and shook it. "I'm sorry for the mess" – he continued, pointing at the carton boxes and the half-filled library – "I still haven't finished unpacking everything… actually, you're my first client! What can I get you?"

The woman was a little surprised before, but now that Jack was smiling her mouth went agape. He had _the fricking whitest teeth she had ever seen_! Now that she was properly looking at him, he was cute. Like, hot damn cute. Although the white hair were unusual, they weren't unpleasant to see and added to the pale complexion and vibrant blue eyes that give him a particular appearance, which kind of reminded her of winter. She was so caught in her daydreaming that she voiced her thoughts without wanting to: "You know, your teeth sparkle like freshly fallen snow…" Wow Thia, great move to make a perfect first impression! Very smooth! She always had a passion for teeth (which earned her the nickname "Tooth" in high school) and, whereas her friends didn't mind one bit, it wasn't exactly the best way to introduce herself to a stranger, a hot one nonetheless.

She was contemplating all the possible ways to end her awkward life when Jack grinned. "Your smile is cute, too" he said, no mocking in his voice and, as he showed his pearly teeth again, Tooth suddenly understood the word 'swooning' in all its facets. "So, do I get to know what do you want? And your name, if you don't mind?" he asked with nonchalance and she was finding very tempting the answer 'You with your perfect molars on a silver plates, please' but thank god she succeeded to blurt out a "A black coffee, thank you". She waited for Jack to go away so she could finally bang her head against a wall for her idiocy, yet he was still here, watching her. Oh, her name. He actually asked for her name! The woman let out a forced chuckle, then she said something very fast, very Indian and very long; at Jack's confused (and kind of upset) face she added "You can call me Thia" and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Five minutes later Jack was returning from the kitchen, her coffee in his right hand and a plate of cookies on the left. When he saw her he had to hold back a chuckle: she was dozing off, her eyelids half closed and her hand under her chin. He didn't need to be a genius to understand why she had wanted some caffeine; still, he liked the girl and he felt the strange urge to make her relax a little. As he went back to the counter, a smirk found his way on his lips.

"You know, coffee can't replace sleep."

Thia jumped at the sudden voice and her mind was foggy for a moment before she remembered where she was. She put the blame on her comfortable hoodie and cozy armchair, but she knew that what Jack had said was true. "Although it doesn't" she said, taking a sip from the cup in front of her, "it's a good surrogate and I need to…" She stopped for a moment as the waiter watched her with a smug grin.

"… This isn't coffee." It had sounded a lot less lame in her head but it was the truth: the beverage was sweet and creamy. Definitely not coffee.

"Well, it is coffee" replied the boy, "even if I may have added a thing or two… It's on the house, only for our first customer!"

"Jack. I asked for coffee."

"You asked for coffee because you want sleep, I can't give you that."

"Jack, I wanted a coffee! I still want a coffee!"

"Is it so bad?"

No. Hell no. She wasn't going to fall for his puppy eyes. He wasn't going to win, not with that. She was a strong, independent woman…

"Of course not, it's delicious!"

… Who apparently couldn't resist puppy eyes.

"Then, where's the problem? Enjoy the drink, Madame!"

She was ready to answer with a witty comeback, but Mika's melodious voice singing _Stardust_ prevented her from doing so. She picked up her phone, partially glad to see Edward's name on the screen. "Aster! What… calm down, I don't- what do you mean 15 MINUTES AGO? Oh god, I didn't realize it was already this late! Of course I'm coming to work Ed, there's no need to-" Really, Jack should stop doing things that can ruin her life, like flashing his perfect incisor or _stealing her freaking phone_.

"Hello, Mister!" exclaimed Jack, voice dripping with cheerfulness "Are you Thia's… Bunny? I can't believe it's you, kangaroo!". With the last word a memory hit her like a brick in the face and, as Jack mouthed the words "high school", she recalled Bunnymund and his tales about the 'punk ass kid who like to dump snow into your jacket'. Jackson Overland, said 'punk ass kid' and infamous troublemaker in Burgess High, had been Edward's top enemy for more than a reason; however, she clearly remembered the time Jack's basketball team had beat Bunny's. Jack in particular, number 68 in the Blizzard team, had scored most of the points and her best friend hated him since then. "I'm sorry Bunny, but Thia is going to take some days off work!". She was going to have an heart attack, that was it. She tried to take her phone from Jack's hands until he shot her a grin.

Ah, those pearly whites would be her death.

* * *

**Song**: Lollipop - Mika [Pop Rock]

(Guess who love Mika *wink*).


	2. Will you go snowboarding with me?

**A/N** Hello guys! I'm a bit late, aren't I? *avoids knives* I'M SORRY *avoids various objects thrown at her*

I could say that many things got in a way, but for _a whole year_ (almost)? I don't believe so. The fact is, I'm a lazy ass. Not only that: I'm also inconstant as hell and I give up pretty easily.

For this reason I want to thank every single one of you who stuck with me until now. And the reviews! Oh man, the reviews. To all the kind souls who wrote something I want to say: THANK YOU and YOU ARE AMAZING because, well, it's true.

So a shot out goes to: **sophiarouse**, **MikeyStar**, **avatarinuyasha**, **bente**, **creatorX33**, **Guest** **reader**, **Kazuya** **RandomAuthor** and **madcat3200**! I want you to know that the only reason I didn't answer at some of your reviews is just because I saw the messagge months lather I was too embarrassed by my own stupidity to reply.

As usual, **IcandyCo** corrected all the various mistakes I made (HOW I WOULD LIVE WITHOUT YOU ONLY GOD KNOWS).

But now, into the story!

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Rise of the Guardian or William Joyce's characters.

* * *

So, Thia liked the snow. The fact was, she didn't exactly _enjoy_ it; a perfect white Christmas for the young woman consisted of drinking hot chocolate and snuggling in warm blankets.

In simple terms the perfect day was with Thia _inside_ her house and the snow _outside_. No contact, no problems: the white blanket's pureness wouldn't be ruined and she wouldn't be cold. It was an advantageous compromise for everyone.

Of course Jack had to butt in and manage to destroy her habits. Damn that charming smile and _those stupid magnetic eyes_\- she didn't even complete her thought because a snowball had to interrupt her. _God_.

"Jackson Overland, do it another time and I'll drown you in the Pacific Ocean."

The culprit only smiled. "Come on Toothsie, live a bit. You know, you can walk. It's not like the snow will eat you."

"I'm doubtful" she deadpanned, not moving one inch from the spot where she had been for the last 15 minutes.

It all started on Jack's birthday, the 2nd of January. Tooth, with the help of Hiccup (Jack's co-worker), Astrid (his girlfriend) and Edward (who miraculously didn't murder "frostbite" the first time he saw him after years), had thrown him a party and she had bought him a present she was sure he would love: a snowboard. The winter-loving boy had been so delighted that he almost cried and he glomped the tiny girl in a bear hug (and then she was delighted, too). Hadn't Thia been so caught in the embrace (and in her daydreaming) she could have declined his kind offer; of course, he would have used one of his irresistible features (his pearly white teeth, for example) and convinced her anyway, but at least she would had known what was going to hit her later. Unfortunately, everything Jack did had the amazing power to turn her brain into a puddle. This was the main reason why, when he asked her "will you go snowboarding with me?" in a murmured voice, she promptly nodded without really comprehending what she had got herself into.

After a week, there she was: the Appalachi Mountains around her were breathtaking and the wind was merciful. Still, it was freaking cold.

"Are we going down together or do I have to make you?" asked her friend-and-maybe-something-more. He had the snowboard at his feet and he was giving her the "I'm a dork and you love me" look. That evil trickster.

Thia's gaze went down to her feet and the rented snowboard she was on. Go down with him? She would probably do something extremely stupid, like falling on her face or going against a tree. After her parents disappearance she had abandoned all the sports she had been playing to look after her sisters; the woman was fairly sure her athletic skills were long gone.

"Come on, it's easy: keep your knees bent and back straight, point your lead foot towards the slope and press it on the ground."

"Jack, I-"

"You'll fall the first times but then it gets better, believe me-"

"Jack, listen. I'm really happy to be there with you – Jack's heart made an happy somersault at that – but I'm not used to this. I'm the serious daughter… the boring one. I'm not fun, you are"

She expected him to understand and go down alone. She hoped he would tell her it didn't matter and then he would kiss her.

He took her gloved hands into his instead (_don't panic Thia, don't panic!_) and whispered: "After this you may want to drown me for real". Then he proceed to lift her up and make her slide towards the slope (and her death, probably). She shrieked while Jack laughed and she somewhat managed to keep her balance (those 9 years of ballet weren't so useless after all).

"Remember, it's better to fall on your backside than on your wrists!" yelled her the _stupid twit_, still laughing.

Forget it. She was going to _behead _him and then throw him in the Pacific Ocean.

"Was it so difficult?"

They were both at the end of the track and Thia was (surprisingly) still alive. She wanted to rub off his smug grin from his face, but she couldn't bring herself to do it: the downhill was enjoyable and she actually had fun. Of course, she had fallen (multiple times) but the boy had always been right behind her when she needed help.

Jack was lying on the snow, making a snow angel, and she couldn't help but stare.

She had fallen in love with him long ago.

At first she simply was attracted by his looks, but as she got to know him better she began to love his mischievous personality, the way his eyes lit up when he was speaking of his sister, how he looked concentrated while he cooked. She didn't know what he thought of her; perhaps it was only her impression, but every now and then she had caught him staring at her, only to look away quickly. Perhaps she was mistaken, yet he seemed to blush harder every time she hugged him.

Perhaps she was wrong, perhaps not.

"Tooth, you okay?" he asked and his face was only centimeters away from hers, close enough to let the tip of their nose touch. A crazy idea came to her mind, an idea that could ruin their relationship. Or take it to a new level.

Jack had taught her to let loose sometime and, listening to his eternal advice to "don't think and live a little", she closed her eyes and brought her mouth closer and closer, until it was on his. For a moment she assumed she had messed up everything and she tried to retract, turn around and run away; however, Jack didn't seem to mind her choice and he cupped her cheeks with his hands, turning his head to kiss her better.

Thia was surprised the snow around them hadn't melted because she was _burning_. Thank God her complexion hided her enormous blush; she was pretty sure she would mimic the color of a tomato had her skin been a lighter color.

Like Jack's, for example: his cheeks and nose were blazing red and a goofy grin was plastered on his face.

"Is someone embarrassed?" she asked, stunned by her sudden courage. What was she going to do next, jump off a mountain?

"It's the cold" he muttered, his smile only increasing.

"Jack, you're adorable". Damn her mouth, always speaking by her account. Was it so difficult to keep it shut?

"You're cute"

"Oh my god, you're such a dork"

As she smiled and ran her fingers through his unruly hairs, she decided that she would never need coffee again.

All she needed was something sweet and Jack's lips were the sweeter thing she ever had the pleasure to taste.

* * *

**Song:** Hooked On A Feeling - Blue Swede [Pop Rock]

(I've seen Guardian of the Galaxy yesterday and it was glorious)


End file.
